Yay Bike Ride! (And Other Ramblings)

Yay bike ride! My uncle and I managed to get out this morning between rain showers, and the air temperature is *awesome* for biking. :) I could have biked much more, but it was starting to rain, and I have a mountainous pile of dishes waiting for me. *grumble*

These "I can't catch up" piles of dishes seem to occur when I bake... it appears that I can do baking or dishes, but not both. My intention this fall is to come home early (as soon as the help centre hours are over, which is usually 4:00 during the regular terms), cook a proper meal, and not let the dishes pile up.

Of course, this relies on me getting all my class prep done in the mornings. (I'm teaching Computer Usage again this fall, and I don't have Windows on my mac.)

After the bike ride, I took my uncle's car for a short test drive. He wants to get something bigger, and ___________ (more reasons, which I won't go into here, but not actual problems with the car itself, beyond it not being what he wants). It's a VW beetle.

Pros:
- I know my uncle wouldn't hide any problems with the car (like a stranger or used car salesman would).
- I'll want a car when I get a house, and when I get a house, I'll have no money for a new car.
- Excellent gas mileage. (The trip to Flin Flon would cost me half as much.)
- Cool factor. (Although not as cool as a Mini... but then Minis have memories for me.)
- Hatchback.
- Ass heat. (More commonly referred to as "heated seats".)
- AC.
- *Really* adjustable driver positioning.
- It would solve the question of how I'm getting to Flin Flon this year. (Although renting would certainly be cheaper, if this was my only concern.)
- I wouldn't need to borrow my mom's car to go grocery shopping any more.
- Trailer hitch.

Neutral:
- Stick shift. (I don't have strong feelings either way. Especially since I live in the land of flat.)
- Diesel. (I can't drive behind diesels, but I didn't notice anything in the car. Other than that, I have no opinion on the pros & cons of diesel over gas.)

Cons:
- I might be getting my brother's car when he moves to California next year (waiting to hear if his plans with regards to the car have changed), and it's likely cheaper, and has more space.
- My expenses would go up now rather than later. (Insurance, gas, maintenance.)
- No rear windshield wiper.
- Really low to the ground. (Could be a problem in the time between a snowfall and when streets & back lanes get plowed.)
- Two door.
- It would put a dent in my safety padding in my account... although I could recoup most of that if I treat my fall teaching position as a car payment. (The help centre covers the bills, but doesn't provide spending money, so it would be a lean term.)

If I do get it, I think I'll replace the current fake flowers with a nice fake gerbera daisy, or maybe a chrysanthemum. (I'll get a quality one from Michaels, not a cheapo one from Dollarama. Fake flowers vary a lot in quality, and I'd like a nice one if I'm going to have one.)

In other news, I bought a new bathing suit yesterday. (I can still squeeze into the old one, but it doesn't fit like it used to.) The one I ended up with looks quite good on me. R & I amused the store clerk with our giggling and jokes. (One I can remember is "this is an area I don't want to draw attention to, so let's put *sparkly* things right on it!") I told her it was okay if she laughed along with us. I mentioned that she must hear lots of giggling, being the clerk near the bathing suits, but she said that mostly she hears moans of despair. We all agreed that bathing suits were designed by men, not women.

I still don't know how or when I'm going to the lake, and there won't be anyone there to *see* me in my swimsuit, but at least I'll be clothed if someone drives by in a boat.